Articles
Construction ERP Articles and Guides
Construction ERP articles and guides for people who run the work: job costing, AIA billing, retainage, cash flow, tariffs, and the financial mechanics of running projects inside Oracle NetSuite. Written to be genuinely useful, whether or not you ever call us. New pieces most weeks.
Tariffs, Steel Prices, and the Contractor's Dilemma: Managing Material Cost Volatility in 2026
ARTICLE -- If you're a contractor in 2026, your material costs are a moving target. 40-year-high tariffs. Steel prices climbing. Project abandonment up 88% year-over-year. Here's what's driving construction material cost volatility, why construction is hit harder than most industries, and what's working.
Why 9 Out of 10 Construction Projects Still Blow Their Budget, and What's Changing
ARTICLE -- 9 out of 10 construction projects come in over budget. The average overrun is 28%. 85% of projects across 20 countries over 70 years experienced cost overruns. This isn't bad luck, it's a systemic problem the industry hasn't solved. Here's what high-performing firms do differently.
Construction Module for NetSuite: 2026 Buyer's Guide
ARTICLE -- If you're running construction projects on NetSuite, the core platform wasn't built for every construction-specific workflow. AIA billing, retainage, Gantt scheduling, job costing. Here are the three approaches, the criteria that matter, and the vendor questions worth asking before you commit.
The Construction Industry in 2026: Five Challenges Every Contractor Needs a Plan For
ARTICLE -- 2026 is a year of contradictions for construction. Plenty of work, but everything costs more and workers are harder to find. 499,000 worker gap. 25-30% effective tariffs. 63% of firms have seen projects postponed or cancelled. Here are the five challenges every contractor needs a plan for.
How to Automate AIA Billing in NetSuite: A Step-by-Step Guide for Construction Companies
ARTICLE -- AIA billing is one of the most tedious workflows in construction finance. G702. G703. Schedule of Values. Retainage on every line. Done manually, it eats hours every cycle. Here's how to automate AIA billing inside NetSuite, plus how Claremont Homes cut loan draws from 40 hours to 4.
The Hidden Cost of Disconnected Construction Software: Why Built-In Beats Best-of-Breed
ARTICLE -- Most construction firms don't set out to build a fragmented tech stack. It happens one tool at a time. McKinsey says 95% of construction data goes unused globally. Here's the real cost of software sprawl in construction, and what "built inside NetSuite" actually means for your team.
Construction's Workforce Crisis Isn't Coming. It's Here. What Can Firms Actually Do About It?
ARTICLE -- The US construction industry needs 499,000 new workers in 2026, and 41% of the current workforce retires by 2031. Here's what the labor shortage actually costs, and what high-performing firms are doing beyond posting more job ads.
NetSuite ERP for Construction and Project-based Companies
ARTICLE -- Oracle NetSuite is the world's leading cloud ERP, and an increasingly common foundation for construction and project-based companies. Here's what it provides natively for construction firms, where the platform reaches its industry-specific limits, and how SuiteApps extend it.
Construction Management Terms: A Glossary for Project-Based Firms
ARTICLE --"Construction project management" means different things to different people. PMs running schedules. Finance teams chasing job costs. Owners watching budgets. This guide decodes 10 important construction management terms commonly used but rarely well understood, and why they matter.
Navigating Tariffs and Rising Costs in 2025
ARTICLE -- 2025 brought a wave of new tariffs, surging steel and aluminum prices, and persistent material cost uncertainty for US contractors. Here are the strategies firms are using to protect margins, the role of escalation clauses, and how real-time cost visibility separates adapters from absorbers.
Construction Management: Supply Chain and Inventory Challenges in 2024
ARTICLE -- Construction supply chain instability hit projects hard in 2024. McKinsey reports 40% of projects delayed by supply chain bottlenecks. Here's how NetSuite + FullClarity gives construction firms real-time visibility into material commitments and inventory across active projects.
Constructing Success in 2024
ARTICLE -- Success in construction in 2024 looks different than it did five years ago. The firms growing aren't necessarily bidding the most work, they're the ones with operational discipline, real-time data, and automated workflows. Here's what "construction success" actually means today.
